Dust in the Wind
by Lilith-Lucy
Summary: Someday in the far future Saya realizes that in nature there is no such thing as eternity and she meets up with old friends in Okinawa once more.
1. The place where I used to belong

She was sitting in the shadow of a tree, eyes closed, listening to the melody she had not heard in so many years. Summer was just about to begin and many people were taking a stroll around town enjoying the sunny weather. Their excitement and energy cheered her, though she could not help but feel tired.

Of all places she had visited during her long life, she had been drawn to Okinawa lately. Even though the town had completely changed since the days at Omoro and she could hardly recognise anything, this was still where she felt most at home. The music stopped and the crowed of listeners dissolved. She came to her feet, stroked a strand of hair out of her face, rearranged her cotton scarf, took a deep breath and headed towards the musician.

Even though he had already noticed her, he finished packing his instrument before he turned his head and gave her full attention.

"Hello", she said gazing into the familiar face that yet belonged to a stranger. Haji greeted her with a bow of his head and answered: "Saya, it's been a while."

She nodded. "I happened to walk by and heard you play", she continued, "So I thought I should say hello."

He gave her a hint of a smile. Both of them knew very well that their encounter was no coincidence.

"How are you?" he asked.

"Fine", she answered perhaps not totally honest, "and you?"

"Fine."

"So…what are you up to? I wanted to take a look around town…maybe you'd like to come?"

He nodded and lifted his cello case onto his back, signalizing, that he was ready.

Their conversation was no more than the small talk between strangers, since all those years – those centuries that had passed – could not be summed up in a few sentences anyway. And yet with time passing by the unfamiliarity faded away.

Saya enjoyed talking to someone who knew Okinawa the way she remembered it. While they moved around town they shared memories about the places they recognized: they passed the spots where Saya's school and the hospital had once been. At some point they ended up at the crypt where she had spent quite a few of her hibernations. It was the only thing that had not changed at all.

Saya left some flowers that she had picked on the way for George, Riku and Kai.

"I will never forget them", she murmured as a tear ran down her cheek.

"Neither will I", Haji agreed. How could he? After all it was Kai to whom he owed all those happy years after the war.

She turned towards the ocean where the sun began to set. Once again she noticed how beautiful the view from up here was.

"If ever I need to find a last resting place", she whispered, "this wouldn't be such bad a choice."

_Ever_ – Haji shuddered to her words. He was tired too. After so many years on earth there was nothing left to do and the thought of eternity was frightening.

"We should leave", Saya said, after watching the sunset a little longer, "it will be dark soon." Haji nodded though to him the time of day did not matter. In fact he preferred the tranquillity of the night. But Saya would surely be exhausted after the long walk and would need to rest.

By the time they had reached Saya's apartment night had fallen and it had begun to rain.

"Do you have somewhere to stay in Okinawa?" she asked on her doorsteps.

"What would I need a place to stay for? I'm used to traveling and stay up all night anyway."

"Well you surely don't want to stay out in the rain. You will be soaking wet."

"It's just water. I don't mind."

"If you want, you can come in until the weather gets better", Saya suggested. Haji agreed mostly because he was curious about how Saya was living. She went ahead up the stairs to the second floor when she was overcome by a sudden dizziness. She felt her legs tremble, lost balance and could barely support herself at the handrail. "Saya!" Haji, who was right behind her, reached out for her, ready to catch her. His voice had the same tone she had known so well: the mixture of concern and affection. "Are you all right?" he asked."I am tired, that's all. I guess I will go to hibernation soon." "I'm sorry, I didn't realize. I hope that walk was not too exhausting. You can get some sleep in a minute."She shook her head. After seeing him for the first time in so many years it did not feel right to just turn away and go to bed."Please don't feel obliged to stay awake because of me", he said but Saya headed onwards not paying attention anymore. She was glad to be home.


	2. Sweet Grapes

_-One day earlyier-_

"Thank you!", said Matteo, as Haji carried the last barrel into the basement, "What would we do without you?"

"You rely on me too much. I never said I'd stay. What if I decide to leave tomorrow?"

The old man laughed: "You said that ten years ago and yet here you are. You should go out to the cities more often, find a girl or something. The solitude of the countryside is addicting."

"I like the tranquillity", Haji replied. The cities were crowded and noisy: Full of flickering screens and artificial sounds; Full of people in a constant hurry, whose minds had long been absorbed by some virtual world he had never even tried to enter. Here on the countryside life had not changed all that much, especially since the wine yard he had been working on, was trying to retain the traditional processing of grapes.

"Then I need to warn you," Matteo winked, "Arianna is coming in the afternoon and she is going to stay for the week."

Haji sighted. Matteo and his wife Sofia were pleasant company: he helped them out on their wine yard; in return he could live in their guest house where he would spend the nights working on his music. However what he liked best about them was that they did not ask any questions. Their eight year old granddaughter Arianna in contrast was wild, noisy and curious.

A few minutes before the cab that delivered the curious, little troublemaker arrived at the yard, Haji had fled to his cottage off the main building. He was staring at the draft of his latest composition, played the melody over and over again but got stuck at the same spot where he had stopped the previous night.

"Something isn't right", he said to the tabby cat that had slipped through the open window. It had listened to more of his music than any human being – and more of his thoughts and troubles anyway.

"Something seems to be missing…"

He started again from the beginning, played every note carefully until he reached that open end. Why was it so difficult to finish this melody?

"It sounds sad", a squeaky voice interrupted his thoughts. The little troublemaker was standing in the open door – How could he forget to close it? On her head she was wearing a shopping basked upside down.

"Are you sad?" Arianna asked with naïve innocence.

"No."

"Then why does your music sound sad?"

"Because it's in minor."

"Then why do you play in minor?"

"Why do you wear a basket on your head?", Haji tried to change the topic.

"I'm an astronaut and this is my space helmet and we are on the moon." She made some slow motion jumps across his cottage, pretending there was lower gravity.

"Are you coming for dinner?" she asked when she was tired of her game.

"No, I have eaten already."

She through a glance at the unused kitchen corner that was still shining as if it was brand new and proclaimed: "Liar."

"I don't want to disturb your family reunion", he tried to bluff it out but from her expression it was clear, that she did not believe him.

"I bet you are one of those mutants that drink human blood and don't sleep. I have never seen you sleep."

"Of course you haven't. I go to bed way after little girls like you need to sleep. And you haven't seen me drinking blood either."

"Marco said that on the internet they say there was an incident in the 21st century where they gave some sort of medicine to people and turned them into monsters."

"You shouldn't believe everything your cousin tells you and he shouldn't believe everything he reads on the internet", he replied and hoped that it was just her childish imagination fantasizing about some fictional fairy tale she had come across. It was too complex for an eight year old anyway and her cousin Marco luckily was not a grandchild of Matteo and Sofia and hardly ever came to visit. Nonetheless Arianna was growing up and with every year she became more aware of the world around her. Soon she would notice his lack of aging. How long would he be able to hide the truth from her?

"Arianna, your dinner is getting cold!" Her grandmother's voice echoed across the yard, sparing him further interrogation – for now.

The lights in the main building had long been turned off when Haji still could not find his melody, so he decided to take a walk. It was warm but the stars where hidden by heavy clouds. Only a faint shimmer of the moon shone through. It seemed to be extraordinary calm. Instinctively he knew what all the nightingales, that had suddenly fallen silent, the bats that were staying in hideouts and the stray cats that followed him around hesitantly had noticed: a storm was about to come.

Nonetheless he was not in the mood to go back inside. He was restlessly searching for something but did not know for what.

Suddenly he felt the urge to go somewhere: some place far away in the east.

Only once before had he considered leaving the wine yard. It was, when he had felt Saya's awakening a few years ago. But she had not called for him that time, so he had dismissed the idea. But now his queen needed him. The realisation made him shudder. Something was wrong; otherwise her call would not be so urgent. He hurried back inside, grabbed his instrument and was almost on his way, when he turned back.

Saya's sword had been lost somewhere in the ruins of the opera – and he was glad about it – but he had kept some daggers and other small weapons, just in case. Not wanting to carry them around all the time, he had hidden them in his cottage where no one would find them. But now he placed them in the secret compartment of his cello case. Something was threatening Saya and whatever it was, he would fight it.

He spread his wings and rose into the air. The wine yard, where Matteo, Sofia and Arianna where sleeping, vanished into the darkness as he headed east towards the upcoming thunderstorm.


	3. Broken Shield

It was a small one-room apartment furnished with the absolute necessary: a desk, a bed, some drawers and a corner for the kitchen.

"So you live alone?" Haji asked. After the war he had known Saya surrounded by friends and family.

"Humans are exhausting. They rush through life, constantly needing change until they eventually disappear."

"I cannot disagree with that." He placed his cello in a corner and walked around the room to take a closer look. To his disappointment there were neither pictures nor any objects lying around that might have reviled a bit of Saya's life. "What about Lulu and the twins? Have you seen any of them lately?" he asked. Saya shook her head. She had long lost contact to any other chiropteran. And when she had come across them by chance she had never approached them.

"I would offer you something to drink," Saya said, walking up and down the room, clueless what to do next, "but…well…I could only offer you some…_supplies._"

He shook his head. "No need. I have a good source."

"Then if you need anything else just tell me", she said before leaving for the bathroom to get ready for bed.

She removed her earrings and opened the jewellery box to store them. When she opened the lid she could not resist taking out the ring that had been resting there for ages. Technically they had never gotten a divorce. They had simply parted ways. Technically he was still her husband. _Husband._ The word sounded strange in her ears now. Was there an expiration of marriage, when death took too long? They had broken up with neither fight nor grief. There is only so much time one can spend with another until there is nothing left to talk about. _Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky[1]. _

Saya was just about to slide the band onto her finger but then changed her mind. 'What am I doing?' she wondered, 'this is long past.' She carefully laid the ring back into the jewellery box and closed the lid, not without feeling a little sadness over past times.

There had been other guys but naturally it had never lasted long. Sometimes she had wondered whether Haji had been with someone else as well. She could hardly imagine him with another woman. Evan though she had wished him the best, part of her did not want to believe that he could love anyone but her.

She peaked out of the bathroom door observing him. He was sitting at the table, leaning his head against the wall, his eyes closed. He appeared to be almost as tired as her: his face showing little expression, his head slightly bowed and his arms hanging loosely at his sides. The image reminded her painfully of the times during the war. And yet she could not help but note how handsome he was. When he noticed her, he lifted his head and showed her a faint smile. By now she had noticed the spark that returned to his eyes whenever he was looking at her.

"Well then…good night…I guess." She stumbled towards her bed not quite sure what to say. He rose from his position. "Sleep well", he answered. She stopped in front of him motionless, unable to turn her back on him, still wondering whether there was a non-awkward way to turn away and lie down in her bed. Before she could come up with something to say, Haji stepped forward and embraced her gently. "It was good to see you again", he said. She relaxed in his arms and closed her eyes. It felt good being held by someone, she could not deny that. How long had it been that someone had hugged her like he was now?

She stepped back when she felt a kiss on her forehead.

"Sorry…old habits die hard", he excused himself sheepishly.

"As long as it's not a bad habit" She smiled vaguely and pulled him back into the embrace. On the one hand she feared for emotional complications, on the other hand his warmth and the comfort of his arms was what she needed right now.

Suddenly everything was back: all the reasons she had fallen in love with him, all the memories of their time together and all the emotions she had once felt – though only faint but yet present.

With the recollection of former flames a spark of passion kindled…

* * *

"Why did you call for me?"

She felt his fingers stroking a strand of hair from her face then tracing down her arm all the way from her bare shoulder until his hand found hers.

"I guess I was feeling lonely. Sometimes it is good to have someone around who won't disappear in a wink." This was not a lie but Haji knew her well enough to realize it was not the whole truth either.

"Saya, why did you really call for me?"

She freed herself from his embrace, tried to find a sitting position in the small bed and turned away. The covers had fallen from her shoulders and suddenly all warmth and cosiness was gone. She pulled the pink cotton scarf – the only item she was still wearing – tighter around her neck, crossed her arms to shield her naked body and yet shivered from the cold.

_Why did he have to ask? Why now? _She knew that sooner or later she would have to tell him anyway and yet she could not find the right words.

She did not need to: he lifted his hand and gently removed the scarf from her neck. His movements froze when he discovered what she had been hiding: cracking red lines were running across her skin.

* * *

[1] Livgren, K. (Composer). (1977). Dust in the Wind. [Kansas, Performer]


	4. Limited Existence

[Two years earlier]

"You have **76159 new messages**." She sweared. When was she supposed to read all of those? She skipped through them, filtered them. Most of them were some sort of newsletters she had forgotten to unsubscribe; others were news from Red Shield about minor changes in the foundation but nothing of actual importance. Most of the friends from her _last life_ had stopped writing within the first years of her hibernation. She did not blame them – after all 30 years was a long time compared to a human life span. Those, to whom she did not explain her situation, asked for her whereabouts and why she did not answer, other told them new addresses that by know surely were outdated. The latest personal message had arrived 17 years ago.

After the war Red Shield had turned into an organisation that protected and conceal chiropterans from the public. A network of researchers and medics took care of their health and supplies, while agents and reporters covered up leaked information. (Ever once in a while the members had discussed about making the existence of chiropterans public, but since the reaction of the crowds and other consequences could not be foreseen, they had decided against it.)

Red Shield's main base was hidden at a deserted corner of the Antarctic. Most of it was lying underground: laboratories, conference rooms, storage rooms and high safety bunkers to ensure the queens' safety during hibernation. Only a few houses for the staff were situated over ground. There Saya had lived for the past weeks to recollect her memory and prepare to go out into a modernized world.

Ideally some of the staff should always stay for more than 30 years so that a queen could meet a familiar face upon awakening, but this time it did not work out and Saya had to start over in a group of strangers. Anyway they were kind and she became friends with them soon, but now her time at the base was almost over and she had to prepare for departure.

Saya was sitting in her storage room in the midst of junk that she had collected during her "last lives". For now she could pack a suitcase and once she had settled in, the Red Shield would deliver the rest to her new home. She was looking around but there was nothing that she considered to be of any use. Most of it she had kept as a reminder of some precious memory that she feared to loose along the way and hardly anything was actually useful. She considered taking some clothes but concluded that the new ones she had gotten from the organisation would blend better into the latest fashion. After all she had no idea, what the world looked like right now. She had watched some videos and read reports, but it was not the same as living out there in the new civilisation.

In the end she left the storage room without the suitcase. There was no point in hanging onto past memories if she had no one to share them with. Her head seemed to be too full of them anyway.

* * *

She had tried New-Delhi, but it was too crowded. Then she had moved to and Lapland but the winter was too cold for her taste. Now Saya had ended up in a small town in Wales, living from one day to the next without a particular plan. She had found herself a job in a café and some friends to hang out with. Yet she had trouble to settle in since none of this meant much to her. She travelled a lot restlessly searching for new places; for somewhere that felt like home. However she had been searching for more than a year already and doubted, that she would settle in somewhere before her next hibernation.

Saya had just returned from her last trip and was exhausted from the long journey. She had taken a warm shower to relax before going to bed. When she reached out for the towel, she felt the pain again: slight, yet present. Every once in a while her neck and shoulder ached when she carried something heavy or made sudden movements. As it was not very intense, she had never given it much attention but recently it appeared more frequently and she began to worry, since pain without injury was knew to her.

Saya ran her fingers over her neck and felt some disturbance in her otherwise perfectly soft skin, like a scratch or scar. She wiped the steam off the mirror to see what was wrong. Saya's heart skipped a beat, when she discovered the red line that was no longer than her pinkie and no wider than a hair. What was it? If it was an injury, why did it not heal?

Suddenly a pale face framed with blond hair returned to her mind. What was her name again?_ Iren_: her body marked with cracking lines, the expression of despair when the thorn defeated her. Saya shuddered at the sad memory. Was it the same curse that had befallen her now? Motionless she was staring at the reflection in the mirror, at the red line and at her skin that was turning paler and paler until it had the same colour as Iren's.

Eventually she realised that she was shivering with cold. She covered her naked body and the thorn with a dressing gown and decided to calm herself down by a cup of hot chocolate. She would contact the Doctors from Red Shield and have them check on her. After all it was just a tiny scratch….probably completely harmless. Maybe there had been cases like this before. Maybe Red Shield's consultant Doctor Leonhard knew what to do. They would send her a ride and tomorrow she would be back at the base, getting some medical infusion and everything would be back to normal. And yet the more she thought about it, the more she doubted it. She had been oddly tired lately even though her last hibernation ended not even two years ago.


	5. Morning without Hope

"S-Saya…this isn't…"

"Thorn", she interrupted him in a casual tone as if talking about the weather. She wrapped the cloth back around her neck and got up to get into her pyjamas. Haji sat motionless from shock. It had not troubled him to be separated from her as long as he had known her to be well and happy. But the thought of losing her forever was unbearable. After all she was his queen and moreover in one way or another she was still the love of his life.

"If you gonna lose your head about it then please don't do it in my presence!" Saya wondered whether it had been wrong to let him know about her condition in the first place. She had known that it would hurt him and she certainly did not need anyone to whine about it.

Haji needed a moment to compose himself, then he asked: "Is there no cure? I mean…Julia was able to cure Lulu's thorn with only a few drops of Diva's blood."

Saya shook her head. "I guess there is no such thing as immortality in nature. At some point death is inevitable for all of us. And the scientists of this world make better use of their time curing humans than developing a treatment for a hand full of nearly immortal chiropterans."

"So you have given up on it?"

"I have accepted it. And you should do the same", she replied harshly. She had finished getting into her nightwear and was staring at him impatiently. "I am tired. If you could leave my bed so that I can get some sleep that would be great."

He wanted to protest. Her sudden change in mood reviled him, that the illness burdened her. He wanted to talk about it and console her – and also himself. However her voice also made clear, that arguing was pointless. So instead he left the bed to its owner.

She crawled underneath her blanket pulling it over her head. _What had she expected? _She could have guessed that he would not stay objective about her condition_. _But even despite this their encounter had not gone as planed at all. _If only she had not let her guards down. _The realization had struck her when she had noticed how much pain her fate was causing him. _Was it his chevalier-blood that would mourn about his queen's death? Or was he after all those years still in love with her? _

* * *

The next morning she found him in front of her computer. The hologram of Doctor Leonhard flickered on the table.

"I am very sorry, but there are certain laws in nature that apply to every form of life", she her Leonards voice.

"Don't tell me you're bothering him again?" Saya jumped up from her bed – a careless move as the sudden rise made her feel dizzy.

"I am sorry, doctor Leonhard", she said a bit louder, "I didn't tell him, that you tried everything already. We will no longer disturb and worry you. Good morning!" with those words she pressed a button to finish the call and glared furiously at her Chevalier, "Do you think I would give up just like that? Did you really believe that I did not seek help? That I have not tried EVERYTHING?"

He dropped his gaze sheepishly. "I know…but it is hard to accept."

For a while they said nothing to each other. Saya began to wonder whether she had been too harsh on him.

Suddenly he began to open the top button of his shirt and revile his neck. "You haven't feed on me for a long time."

Saya understood what he was aiming at. She had thought of it before, but deep down she knew it would not help. However to avoid any discussion – and perhaps to reassure her instinct – she dug her fangs deep into his skin.

Almost had she forgotten how sweet his blood tasted. Energy flowed through her body, nourishing her cells, vitalising her muscles. Yet it could not seal the cracks in her broken shell.


	6. Moon over the Antarctic

"Come on, Anne, just one more episode!"

"Lulu, it's three in the morning, I am tired."

"You always say that when the show is getting interesting."

"You have no idea what you're talking about. It's not as if I can choose when to be tired. Despite that, I need to go to work tomorrow."

"It's only twenty minutes."

"No."

"I'll continue without you."

"You don't dare!"

"Then watch it with me now."

"Please, for heaven's sake, let me sleep!"

Lulu gave in and left her friend and flatmate have some rest. Anne was a good companion. She showed understanding for most of the schiff's needs and accepted Lulu as she was. Unfortunately Anne had her own needs and sleep was the one Lulu struggled with the most. The long hours of the nights, that she like best, since she did not have to fear burning her delicate skin, were the ones she spent in loneliness and boredom.

Anne was working in the cafeteria for the researchers at Red Shield's main base. Lulu had met her four years ago when she had accompanied a queen to her hibernation place. Back then Anne had still been a child: a nurse's daughter, who had grown up in the solitude of the Antarctic. She had seen little of the world; neither big cities nor prosperous summers. Therefore she loved to chat with the schiff who had travelled across the continents. Lulu on the other hand enjoyed playing with a young friend without having to hide her identity.

Ever since, Lulu had spent the time from April to September with Anne, while for the rest of the year she moved to Iceland, avoiding the sun and seeking the moon as much as possible.

It was always a big event, when one of the few queens awakened. It offered a change to the lonely life at the research centre and it was celebrated accordingly. Lulu had hoped to welcome Saya from her latest hibernation, but unfortunately it had been in November.

The worst thing about Anne's sleep was that Lulu had to be quiet: TV and music only with headphones, no ball games or running around in the house. She was not even allowed to do the dishes (not that she wanted to anyway). At least Lulu did not mind to keep the lights off; the moon that was shining through her window was more than sufficient for her eyes.

Back in her own room Lulu was scrolling over a blog of some conspiracy theorist who claimed to have proof for the existence of vampires. "Definitely made up", she concluded, since none of the descriptions came even close to chiropterans ("No reflection in the mirror" and "afraid of crosses" it said in the blog.)

As she was reading Lulu got scent of something that she recognized as chiropteran. She jumped in excitement. A queen or chevalier had to be close. A second later she heard a knock at the window. When she turned to see what it was, a face was staring into her second floor room.

"Haji? Don't do that again, you scared me", she said, as she opened the window and invited him inside. She had not seen him in a couple of years. Though he had not physically aged, something in his expression made him appear older than she had remembered him. He seemed to be somewhat worried and worn out – something that she would have interpreted as fatigue in the face of a queen or human.

"Should I have rung the bell and waken up your flatmate?"

"No, but instead of showing up in the middle of the night, you could have called or written a mail. Don't get me wrong, I am glad you are here. You have no idea how boring this place is at night. That's what I like better about big cities, they never sleep. Still you could have told me." She was about to suggest a bunch of fun activities to do, when she noticed his serious expression. Had something happened? Surly he did not just came to drop by and say hello.

"Saya's waking period is coming to an end", Haji explained, "She would like to see you before that."

"Then why didn't she come herself."

"She is very tired and would appreciate, if you could come to see her."

"Right now?" she asked. Something in his voice made her feel uneasy.

"As soon as possible."

"Where is she? Do I need to take anything with me?"

"She is in Okinawa. I can bring you to her place, if you want to come tonight."

Lulu immediately began packing. In other words: she grabbed a parasol, sunglasses and an extra robe to change and proclaimed: "Ready. Let's go!" She had never really felt bound to any home and did not mind spontaneous journeys.

She locked the window and on her way towards the door typed an absence note to Anne to not make her worry. She was looking forward to meet Saya again and to visit Okinawa, but Haji's sudden appearance concerned her. This had not been the invitation to a happy family reunion. Something must have happened.


	7. Sayanara

"You look tired", Lulu noticed, "You don't have much time left, do you?" Saya's answer was no more than a hesitant nod.

"Are you expecting someone else?" Lulu followed Saya's gaze out of the window.

"The twins. I wanted to see all of you again before my next slumber." Her heart ached from the half- lie but she was not ready to be honest – not yet.

A polished personal vehicle stopped in front of the building. Nowadays having one's own means of transportation was rare, as the autonomous public transports where reliable and affordable. The door opened and a man in a ruby suit dismounted, offering a hand to the girl in flamboyant summer dress. The man took half a dozen bags from the trunk and shouldered them with one arm, while he used the other to hold the door for his companion.

"And there she is, going overboard again", Lulu rolled her eyes.

A few seconds later Hibiki and her Chevalier appeared in the door followed by excited greetings and an episode of small talk until they finally settled down on the bed and the armchairs Saya had borrowed from a neighbour (her room was not suitable for receiving guests). - Leon, Hibiki's Chevalier was standing at the wall behind his queen.

"Don't you want to take a seat?" Saya asked. He declined. "My legs will not tire, so there is no need."

Saya felt a little uncomfortable with someone standing in the room, but she did not want to start an argument. She had only met her nieces Chevalier a couple of times and hardly ever spoken to him.

"As suspected, my sister is late again", Hibiki said. Saya was not sure whether she could recognize spite or honest disappointment in her voice.

Haji placed a tray with tea on the table, greeted Hibiki with a bow and took a seat next to Saya.

Hibiki wiped some sweat from her forehead. "This summer is so hot. How do you even survive with that scarf?" As if by silent command Leon stepped forward and fanned her with a lace fan.

Saya overheard the question and instead raised an eyebrow at the chevalier.

"I assume you are paid a generous compensation?"

"Knowing that my queen is pleased is more than enough."

"And don't forget your holiday entitlement. From what I now your boss tends to confuse days and appointments."

Lulu giggled. Hibiki however seemed not amused but there was no time for discussion as the doorbell rang.

Kanade came by herself, a heavy backpack and her shoulder, the hands in the pockets of her shorts. Spotting the unused tea cups she said: "you didn't let the tea get cold because of me, did you?"

"Don't you worry, this weather is not made for hot tea anyway", Hibiki replied mockingly.

Despite of their different personalities the sisters greeted each other warmly. Kanade leaned in to greet her aunt with a warm hug. Saya returned it only with the right arm, as the disease was slowly taking over the left one, hoping that her niece hadn't noticed the stiffness in her shoulder. For an instance she thaught, that Kanade's movements froze, but the girl did not comment on it. Instead she found her place in the free armchair and without hesitation she asked: "So what's up? I assume you have a reason to gather us here?"

Suddenly Saya's throat felt dry. She did not want to have this conversation. She feared the pity, the sadness, the farewell. But she had to do it. She did not want to leave this world without saying goodbye. They deserved to know that they would not see her again – and they deserved to know about her destiny.

"The truth is…", she muttered "I need to tell you that…" The words would not pass her lips. Silently she removed the pink scarf. Lulu gasped.

"What is that?", Hibiki asked anxiously.

"Thorn", answered Lulu with a dry voice.

"It can't be!" The twins were startled. "Can it?...I thought…" They had heard the stories about the Schiffs' fate and slowly they began to put the pieces together, grasping the full meaning of Lulu's words.

Eventually Saya spelled out what was on everyone's mind:

"We are not immortal."


	8. Into the Darkness

The pain in her head struck her with surprise. It was one of the few body parts where she could still feel anything at all. Her numb feet, that were not much more than dead stone, had stumbled and thrown her to the ground. A second later Haji was by her side to help her up. She pushed him away harshly.

"Let go!", she shouted and tried to pull herself up with her useful hand only to end up on the floor again, "I don't need your help!"

She wanted to believe her own lie but after a few more desperate attempts she had no choice but to accept her defeat. Tears streamed down her face – a picture of misery crouching on the floor. Haji dared to approach her again and pulled her into a warm and supportive hug.

Time stood still as she cried. Within a few weeks the thorn had spread. By know it was affecting almost all of her body. A month ago she had been taking strolls around the city but now she could not even cross her own apartment. Haji had to help her with everything: it began with the house courses but recently he had to help her with getting dressed, wash her and, when she was very tired, feed her. And know she did not even make it to the bathroom on her own. Saya knew that other people were worse off than her: that they could move less, where tied to their beds and more in pain. Still she could not accept her own fate as she was lying on the floor crying for her last bit of dignity and independence and she knew she could not bear losing them.

Eventually her tears faded and she found her voice back: "Haji, I owe you a lot that I can never repay… and yet I have one last favour to ask."

"Don't worry. Whatever it is, I am here to support you."

"To be honest I am afraid of this illness. I don't want to die like this… I know I have no right to ask this of you and yet I am begging you. I err…" As so many times in the past days she struggled with the words. He took her hand and squeezed it gently. She looked into his sad blue eyes that tried so hard to smile for her and made her feel even more like a traitor.

She had planned this from the start, from the moment she decided to call for him. Now the moment of truth of truth had come. She could not stand the pain any longer and neither could she see him suffering for her sake any more. Now she had to make her unforgivable request. She felt her whole body trembling when she finally uttered:" Do you remember the promise?"


	9. Last Kiss

Lulu, Hibiki and Kanade had offered their help but Saya would not accept it. "Don't visit me again", she had said the day she had let them know about her condition, "I don't want you to see me suffer and I don't want you to come here and find an abandoned room. I don't mind, if you stay in town. We may run into each other occasionally. That way we don't need to say our final goodbye."

Two or three times she had met them in Okinawa. They had taken a stroll or have sat down for some coffee and chatted about the weather or other frivolities.

Every now and then the mood became serious and someone carefully asked one of those questions, that Saya hoped to avoid because she did not want to think about their answers.

Some of them where simple but unpleasant:

"How are you today" – Worse than last time, thank you for reminding me.

"Are you afraid?" – Yes, of course…not horrified, not in panic, but it is normal to be afraid when the future is obscure and expected to bring pain.

"If you had another chance, what would you do differently" – Well…there was this door…

While for other she simply could not think of an answer:

"All in all, are you content with your life? What was your happiest moment? What was most important for you?"

Even know those questions did not let go of her, as she was leaning against the Miyagusuku family crypt and watched the sun vanish behind the ocean, knowing that it would not rise for her again.

"Will you play for me one last time, please?" Saya's voice was no more than a whisper.

Haji had stayed. She had not even tried to send him away. From the moment he had entered her apartment, she had known that he would be with her to the bitter end.

"Don't you need to be somewhere? Is no one waiting for you? What about your friends?" Saya had asked him one of these days. She regretted that question immediately. Maybe he had lived out of the world like she had done it those past months and she made it sound as if there was anything wrong with that.

Haji shook his head. "Don't worry. I told them, I need to take care of a sick friend, that I would be gone for a while and that they shouldn't wait. They will understand."

He had never told her who_ they_ were and Saya did not dare to ask. He hardly told anything about himself and whenever she questioned him, he answered briefly, without revealing much information. All she could figure out was that he had been helping out on a vineyard in Italy, far from every city, with only the elderly farmers and two stray cats around. A few times she caught him sending messages but did not know to whom. At the beginning she had been wondering whether he wanted to keep something a secret but later she figured that this was just the way he was and if he had considered any part of his life relevant to her, he would have told her about it.

Bach echoed in the night as a lament, when the last glimmer of gold had disappeared under the horizon.

"Dad, Riku, Kai. Soon we will be reunited", she whispered, so that Haji could not hear her.

The ceasing sound of the last note filled the air with a silence that none of them dared to disturb.

Eventually Saya spoke with what remained of her voice. "Thank you!" she said, knowing that he would understand that she did not only refer to the play, but meant his support, the struggles and pain he had endured for her sake during the life that she had expanded for too long – and also meant his very last promise.

He took a bottle of wine from his cello case and poured the content into a glass.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked hasitantly.

"Yes, I am", her words where hardly more than a whisper that consumed all her remaining strength.

She struggled when he lifted the glass towards his mouth. "Don't!" She wanted to stop him. She would have knocked the glass out of his hand if only her stiff limbs would have allowed it.

He leaned over her and pressed his lips onto hers, releasing the red fluid into her mouth, not without keeping a bit for himself. "I love you, Saya", he whispered in her ear. She replied with a faint smile – the only reaction her body was capable of. The liquid was sweet and sour, a bit like wine. She had always wondered about its flavour. A faint image of her sister appeared in her mind: Diva reaching out for her daughters. Then the night swept into her consciousness and swallowed it completely.

The morning found nothing but a bottle of 1967 Chateau Duel and, a handful of sparkling red dust in the wind.


End file.
